In the News

PHOENIX – Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star pitcher J.J. Putz announced he will auction a rare Justin Bieber autographed card on www.dbacks.com/auctions with proceeds to benefit the charities of his teammates Craig Breslow and Brad Ziegler.

"Given the way I obtained this card, I think the only responsible course is to donate it to charity," said Putz. "I have the chance to raise money and awareness for two important causes. Besides, convincing my twin girls I was better off taking them to Justin Bieber’s Believe Tour kickoff concert on Sept. 29 in Phoenix rather than keeping the card, put me in the running for father of the year."

The auction is live at www.dbacks.com/auctions and will run through July 1 at 9 p.m. PT. Proceeds from the auction will be split equally between Breslow’s "Strike 3 Foundation" and Ziegler’s "Pastime For Patriots" charitable endeavors.

Putz became the lucky recipient of the 2012 Panini Justin Bieber 2.0 Autographed Card on June 13. Ziegler toured the card company headquarters in Dallas, Texas on June 11 and returned from his visit with two boxes of Justin Bieber trading cards. Putz, Ziegler and Breslow began opening the packs at which point Putz discovered the rare autographed card.

"It’s great that J.J.’s case of Bieber Fever has turned out to be so beneficial for Pastime for Patriots," joked Ziegler. "All kidding aside, I’m very grateful that he has decided to help share the proceeds with a cause that is close to my heart and will help the families of our soldiers serving overseas."

"We definitely listen to Biebs in the clubhouse and watched the viral videos for Carly Rae Jepsen’s song but we were all genuinely surprised when J.J. got the Bieber autograph," quipped Breslow. "I think it’s very noble he’s teaching his daughters the importance of giving back to others, and I’m honored he’s chosen the Strike 3 Foundation to be the beneficiary of his generosity."

Craig Breslow │ Strike 3 Foundation │ www.strike3foundation.org
The Strike 3 Foundation is a charitable agency recognized by the IRS under 501 (c)(3) that heightens awareness, mobilizes support, and raises funding for pediatric cancer research. Founded in 2008 by Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher and Yale graduate Craig Breslow, Strike 3 has pledged over $500,000 to Yale University Children’s Hospital as a founding sponsor of Connecticut’s only Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. Additionally, the organization has supported deserving research and treatment centers across the country and sponsored a Conquer Cancer Young Investigator’s Award, for the Association of Clinical Oncology. Strike 3 has offices in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, and California, and is headquartered in Connecticut.

Brad Ziegler │ Pastime For Patriots │ www.pastimeforpatriots.org
Pastime For Patriots was established by Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brad Ziegler in 2010 with the mission to honor all members of our armed forces and their families for their extreme sacrifice to our country by providing educationally-based financial assistance to military children and family-friendly activities for military members and their families. The foundation is in place to ensure that the daily sacrifices of our service members and their loving families are recognized and appreciated.